Floridians Share Their Pandemic Habits One Year Later: Survey

FLORIDA — It’s been just over a year since the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Florida. Those initial two cases were reported in Manatee County and Hillsborough County March 1, 2020, and Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency one year ago Tuesday on March 9, 2020, to handle the pandemic.

Since then, life has changed significantly for all Floridians. As those early cases spread, many people isolated at home to keep themselves and their families safe from the spread of the virus. They limited contact with others, leaving the home only for necessities, such as groceries. And for many, work and school went virtual.

So, what does life in a pandemic look like for Floridians a year later? Patch asked readers to share their current pandemic habits in a recent survey.

Bright spots in a year of caution include grocery shopping and dining at restaurants with outdoor seating, while few respondents said they're ready to pack into a bar or attend a sporting event.

“I pretty much stay home except for grocery stores and an occasional restaurant where I can eat outside. No movies, no concerts, no farmers markets or travel,” one respondent wrote. “If masks are not being worn by those who are inconsiderate of others, I leave.”

Florida is about to host spring break visitors, and Patch readers were not enthusiastic about the coming influx.

By April 1, 2020, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose across the state, DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for all residents and visitors, unless they were engaged in essential service and activities, that further isolated Floridians and shut down many businesses. The governor reopened the state in phases starting May 4, but some residents are still cautious.

A reader shared, “I will no longer attend indoor events or concerts or museums. My clubs are either in recess until 2022 or have gone out of business. It will take me a very long time to go to indoor restaurants or bars.”

Of the 309 survey respondents, 51 percent were eligible for the vaccine and have received at least one dose as of Monday afternoon. Another 12 percent are eligible for the vaccine, but are awaiting its availability in their areas, and nearly 19 percent of respondents aren’t eligible for the vaccine yet, but plan to get it when they are.

About 18 percent of the respondents — both those eligible and ineligible — say they don’t plan to get vaccinated.

One reader who has received the vaccine said they “feel more OK about socializing outdoors without a mask with friends who have also received both doses of their vaccines.”

Another respondent said, “Now that I’ve got my 1st shot, I feel like I can exhale after holding my breath for a year.”

After getting the first shot, another reader said they feel “hopeful,” and another is “more confident going out in public.”

Many readers said the distribution of the vaccine in their communities hasn’t affected their pandemic habits, though, and they remain cautious.

One reader shared that they “feel slightly less anxious but still not going out much because most people don’t wear masks and are not vaccinated.”

Another respondent said, “I am still isolated with my family. If we need to go out for curbside pickup, everyone wears masks.”

Despite having completed the two-shot series, another reader said, “I only where I must…(I) do not trust the vaccines with the new variants. (I) do not trust or respect the governor’s opening things up as he has and put more of us at risk.”

Of those who responded to the survey, about 86 percent said they continue to wear face masks in public, regardless of whether or not there’s a mask mandate in their area. Nearly 14 percent, though, said they aren’t wearing face masks in public.

“I’m over the mask and prefer not to wear them at all. I would still limit myself being around a big group of non-maskers,” one respondent said.

Another said, “I avoid places that mandate masks, if possible.”

Meanwhile, another reader thinks that “Florida has too many unmasked fools who act like there is no virus at all.”

Patch also asked readers whether they feel more comfortable being out in public now, one year into the coronavirus pandemic, than they did at its start last spring.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they feel better about being out in public now than they did when the pandemic started. Thirty-three percent said their comfort level hasn’t changed, though, while nearly 28 percent say they don’t feel more comfortable leaving their homes.

We also asked readers about which public spaces they’re comfortable visiting.

Grocery stores lead the pack, with 73 percent of respondents saying they’re comfortable shopping for groceries. Another 47 percent said they also feel good about visiting other retail stores, while only 25 percent of respondents are comfortable visiting an indoor mall.

“I go to the grocery every three weeks. I don’t do anything else,” a respondent said.

Nearly 48 percent said they’re comfortable grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant with outdoor seating. Only about 31 percent of those who responded will eat indoors at a restaurant, though.

“I stay away from crowded areas. But I do go out to shop, eat and bicycle a little more carefully than before,” one reader said.

As for bars and clubs, even fewer respondents are comfortable going out for a drink. About 20 percent said they’d feel comfortable at a bar or club with outdoor seating and about 14 percent said they’d have a drink indoors at a bar or club.

Nearly 46 percent of respondents said they’d attend an outdoor market or community event, and about 31 percent said they’d attend a larger outdoor festival. Just 16 percent of respondents said they’d attend an indoor festival. And just 16 percent said they’d feel comfortable attending a sporting event.

One respondent wrote, “I won’t go anywhere it will be so crowded that I can’t be at least 6 feet away (from others.)”

Meanwhile, nearly 14 percent of respondents said they aren’t comfortable visiting any of the public places we suggested.

Patch also asked readers about their spring break travel plans. Nearly 86 percent of those who responded said that they and none of their immediate family members have plans for a spring break trip. About 14 percent said they plan to travel over the break, though.

“Spring break needs to be canceled,” one reader said.

Another called spring break “a nightmare for local residents.”

Many of those who said they were traveling indicated they’d be taking a road trip.

One reader is driving to South Carolina to visit their 91-year-old mother.

“I went six months without seeing her from March to November. Now, I have gone three times for window visits at her assisted living facility,” they said.

Another reader is planning a camping trip to South Florida and the beaches, “where I will keep my distance,” they said.

Some Patch readers do plan on flying during spring break, though. Their destinations include Colorado for a ski trip, Minnesota for business, Hawaii, Nashville, Utah and New Hampshire.

Nearly 59 percent of respondents said they haven’t traveled since before the pandemic started. Nearly 6 percent said they traveled during the first few months of the pandemic, nearly 8 percent traveled over the summer, 10 percent traveled during the fall, nearly 6 percent traveled over the winter holidays, and another 12 percent traveled recently in January or February.

The pandemic could affect the way people travel, socialize and go out in public long-term, though, with many respondents indicating that they’ll remain cautious.

One reader said, “I’ll be more careful about where I go.”

“I think it might take a long time, if ever, for me to get back to feeling comfortable in doing those things again,” another said.

Others are hopeful that life will normalize not far down the road, though.

“(I’m) looking forward to returning to socializing pre-pandemic once we have attained herd immunity with most citizens vaccinated,” one respondent wrote. “We must curtail the governor’s interference.”

Another reader agreed that herd immunity will be the benchmark.

“Once we achieve herd immunity, I will go back to normal — shopping, restaurants, moves, travel to visit friends and family, entertaining. Can’t wait!” they said.